Arch-support.



A. E. BLOCK.

ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1912.

1,061,353. Patented May13,1913.

ALEXANDER E. BLOCK, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ARCH-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May13, 1913.

Application filed September 18, 1912. Serial No. 720,936.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER E. BLOCK, a citizen of the United States,and'a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in v Arch-Supports, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in arch supports, and has for itsobject to provide a shoe or boot with a fixed welt or insole-member, ora removable insole or insolemember, and one or more insertions orliftmembers; and to provide detachable means mounted on or carried bythe insole-member and" the insertions, whereby the insertions may bedetachably fixed at various points upon the insole-member within theboot or shoe, and means whereby the insertions may be detachably fixedupon each other, for the treatment of abnormalities of the foot of thewearer occasioned by mal-formation, accident, or disease.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is an inverted plan view of a. detachableinsole-member employed in practising my invention. Fig. 2 is a top planview of a side-insertion employed in practising my invention. Fig. 3 isa like view of a heel-insertion, employed in practising my-invention.Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of a side insertion, taken on theline 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. '5 is a top plan view of an insertion employedin the treatment of the anterior metatarsal arch. Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of theinsole-member illustrated in Fig. 1 with the insertion 27 in place,taken on the line 77 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a view partly in sectionillustrating the manner in which the insertions are detachably built up,one upon another. Fig. 9 is a plan View of a fixed insole-memberemployed in practising my invention.

As shown in' the drawings, the insolemember 10 may be either of a shape,as illustrated in Fig. 9, or an insole as illustrated in Fig. 1. Uponthe surface of the insolemember 10, I provide a series of embeddedsockets, grouped in pairs, and located with reference to the portions ofthe foot which usually require treatment by means of an arch support;the sockets indicated as 11--12, 13-14, are for the accommodation of aheel insertion 27 such as is shown in Fig. 3;. the sockets indicated as1516, 1718, 19--20, 21-22, 2324, 2-"26 are for the accommodation of aside insertion 28 (see Fig. 2); while the sockets 29-30, 3132, 3334,35-36 are for the reception of one or more of the insertions 37 whichare adapted to the support and treatment of the anterior metatarsal archof the foot. The heel insertion 27 is provided with a pair of skeletons38-39; the side insertion 28 is provided with a like pair of skeletons40- 41; while the insertion 37 is provided with like skeletons 42-43.The contour, dimensions and number of the insertions will vary inaccordance with the condition and conformation of the foot to betreated.

While I have employed the terms socket and skeleton in this description,and have illustrated in the drawing a separable fastening of thebutton-fastener type, it is obvious that the securing means may be anytwo-part separable lockin device, of which one part is seated in theinsole-member and the opposing part in the lift or insertion, and whichis therefore practically selfcontained within the parts themselves; sothat I am enabled to dispense with the use of bars, pockets or othermountings in securing the lift or insertion to the insole member. Ithereby attain lightness, cheapen the cost of manufacture, and rovidefor a practically unlimited range of adjustment of the respective parts,with resulting accuracy in building up the arch-support to conform withthe contour of the foot.

In cases where a greater lift for a point upon the foot than can beaccomplished by the tl'iickness of a single insertion is necessary, theinsertions may be built one upon another as shown in Fig. 8; the lowerface of each of the various forms of insertion (see Figs. 2, 3 and 5)being provided with sockets for that purpose, as shown in Fig.3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tohave secured to me by the grant of Letters Patent, is

1. In an arch support, the combination of an insole-member"; aninsertion; and selfcontained means carried by the insolemember and theinsertion whereby the insertion may be detachably secured to theinsole-member at pre-determined points.

2. In an arch support, the combination. of an insole-member; socketsembedded in the insole-member; an insertion; a skeleton mounted on theinsertion and adapted to detachably engage with either of the sockets.

3. In an arch support, the combination of an insole-member; socketsarranged in pairs detachably engage With either of the pairs of sockets.

4. In an arcIiPsupport, the combination of an insole-member; a pluralityof insertions; and self contained means carried by the insole-member andthe insertions Where- 10 by the insertionsmay be detachably secured I tothe insole-member or to each otherat predetermined points.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this application, .inpresence of twc subscriblng Witnesses.

. ALEXANDER E. BLOCK.

Witnesses:

N. E. BROcKMAN, JAMES L. HOPKINS.

